


The Man in the Mirror

by SifaShep



Series: The Quarian and the Infiltrator [11]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, James Vega - Freeform, commander remy shepard, post ME-3, the quarian and the infiltrator
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-06-04 17:36:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6668029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SifaShep/pseuds/SifaShep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Is Cerberus trying to come back? Major James Vega enlists the help of two legendary Alliance heroes to investigate. Although it's 30 years since the Reaper War, secrets have a way to haunt the present.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place 30 years post-Reaper War.
> 
> James Vega is now a Major and in command of the Normandy SR-4. He's also a full N7 Spectre as well.
> 
> Both Commander Remy Shepard and Garrus Vakarian are (technically) retired from active service, but they act as diplomats and troubleshooters for the Alliance, the Turian Primarchy, and the Quarian Admiralty Board.
> 
> Staff Lieutenant Grantaire is an OC, as well as Dr. Alyssa Massani. Alyssa is the adopted daughter of Zaeed Massani and Doctor Karin Chakwas.

_Holy shit_ , James Vega thought, _it's deja vu all over again._

His eyes flickered from the young man who sat across from him to the personnel record on his pad. The man's light caramel skin glowed under the office lights, his russet-brown hair cut in a short, high-and-tight cut favored by marines from time immemorial.

The most striking feature was his dark blue eyes. They missed nothing, from the copper oak leaf on James's collar to the low light on the holographic pad.

James whistled softly. Staff Leutenant Jason B. Grantaire, Alliance Marines. One of the best shooters in his Academy class, and a charismatic leader to boot. _Madre, this kid'll go far._

"Major Vega?"

Grantaire spoke with an accent from the north of England, so different from the Londoners Vega had worked with years before. Where was the kid from? Somewhere in Yorkshire? Vega glanced at the pad again. _Blackpool, Lancashire._

"Fast-track to promotion...rank of staff lieutenant after fifteen years of service." James inclined his head.

Grantaire shifted uncomfortably in his seat, as if he was unused to the praise. "Yes, sir."

"I see from your biography that you're a war orphan."

"That's right, sir. I never knew my parents," he said with a shrug. "I know they were involved in the war effort, that at least one of them was an Alliance officer, but that's it. My adoptive mom told me that the past is the past. I got the impression she didn't like talking about it."

"Understandable." There were plenty of things about the war that James didn't like talking about, either. He turned his attention back to the pad. "With your record, I think you'll fit in fine aboard the Normandy."

Grantaire's eyes widened. "That means--?"

James grinned widely as he got to his feet and extended a hand. "Welcome aboard, Lieutenant Grantaire. You're my Head of Marine Detail now."

The man also stood and shook James's hand with a firm grip. "Thank you, sir. I won't let you down."

"Don't worry about letting me, down, _Hijo_. The only person you have to worry about letting down is the guy you see in the mirror every morning."

 _Wise words, spoken by a certain former commander._ James chuckled to himself. The Normandy only took the best, and James was more than happy to keep that tradition.

*****  
Six months gave James plenty of time to watch his new HoMD. Grantaire was as good as his record, or even better. He was easily the most organized person on the ship, and he kept an open-door policy for the crew. Everyone liked him; he radiated an easy confidence that won over even the most stubborn Krogan.

Yet there was a darker side to the young man. No one could argue with his battlefield tactics, but Grantaire tended to have an attitude of 'the end justifies the means'. James recalled many discussions over the after-action reports. Results were positive, with minimal casualties, but it still bothered James.

"Get the scientists, then get out," Grantaire ordered. "By the numbers, people."

"Sir!" confirmed his team.

James listened on the comm, as the lieutenant led the extraction team. His fingers itched for his assault rifle, but he forced himself to relax. _Grantaire knows what he's doing. No problem._

"Sir, hostiles, three o'clock--!" The sound of weapons fire overwhelmed the channel. James couldn't hear the voices over the roar. _What the hell's going on down there?_

"...taire to Normandy. We need support! Got casualties!"

James leaned forward and demanded, "Report, Lieutenant!"

"...careful, Atherton, we've got enough problems."

"Not to worry, Boss. If we find the power source for the forcefield, we can take it down and free the scientists."

James hit the button again. "Forcefield?" he repeated.

Grantaire replied, "Sorry, Major. We've located the scientists...but we ran into more opposition than we expected. It's a rat's nest down here--"

The sound of bullets echoed on the channel, so close that James ducked out of reflex. He nodded at his XO, Commander Blair. "Get a team together, take the other shuttle. Page Doctor Massani and tell her she's on call."

"--got the bastard!" Grantaire muttered under his breath, but his voice floated clearly in the comm room. "Atherton, need that barrier down _now_!"

"If I shut it down too fast, I might overload the circuits and--"

More weapons fire cut off Atherton's reply. James gripped the edge of the railing. This was supposed to be a simple rescue operation. **Who else was down there?**

"Team Two, reporting in, Major. We're approaching the LZ...there are several groups of hostiles surrounding the building. No identification on their armor, sir...looks like mercs."

  
"Acknowledged." James tapped his comm. "Flight Lieutenant Darcy, stand by. Our guys might need some help."

"Course already plotted, Major. Just lemme know."

"...redirect the energy surge, Boss. It'll knock 'em out colder than a left jab in the twelfth round."

There was a cry of pain as someone was hit by machine gun fire, the sizzle of shields going down in the barrage. Then Grantaire's voice shouted, "Hunker down! Everyone hunker down! It's gonna--"

Static overwhelmed the channel, then silence. James switched frequencies. "Team Two!"

"An energy surge flattened the building, Major. We have debris raining down on everything--"

"Tabor, prep the Hammerhead for immediate flight," James ordered. "Collins, Hogris, get a medical team together and meet me in the launch bay. We're taking the Mako."

_Mierda, this was supposed to be a simple rescue mission. What the hell happened?_

*****  
James swore as he read the mission report. No one expected to find a Cerberus holdout; the rescue party found itself cornered and overwhelmed. Grantaire's men had located the scientists, isolated in a makeshift prison. Atherton tried to shut down the forcefields, but found out too late that the generators had been rigged to blow if someone tampered with them.

At the last minute, Atherton had redirected the surge towards the attacking mercs, but was cut down before he could implement it. It had been Grantaire who completed the circuit and warned everyone to take cover.

 _Intel dropped the ball on this one. Someone's trying to resurrect Cerberus._ He growled and shut down his pad. Grantaire had managed to protect the scientists, but out of an eight-man team, only three survived, Grantaire among them. The lieutenant was in critical condition in Medbay now.

James took the elevator to Deck Three, Medical. He strode through the doors to find Doctor Alissa Massani at her desk. She glanced up with an annoyed expression that melted as she saw James.

"The lieutenant's still unconscious," she told him. "I've done all I can for him, but we need to get him to the Citadel."

James shivered; he remembered Liara T'Soni saying those words years ago, after that disastrous mission on Mars. Ashley Williams, lying cold and still on the bed, bruises on her face and bleeding on her brain. He banished the image and focused on the here and now.

"We're on our way, Alyssa." James put a hand on her shoulder. "Preston and Hollander?"

"They're stable, though Hollander's already insisting on returning to duty. I told them it's hard to crawl through Normandy's ducts with a broken femur." She laughed shortly. "You didn't tell me how stubborn your crew is, Major."

James raised his eyebrows. "I'm hearing this from the daughter of a merc and a physician."

She shrugged. "I may have thrown a 'bloody damn idiot' in there."

"That sounds more like it." James couldn't think of a stranger couple than Zaeed Massani and Karin Chakwas, God bless their souls, but he appreciated the 'take no shit' attitude Alyssa had in her medbay. Her father's fiery resolve tempered by her mother's cool professionalism.

"You can see him, but keep it short, Major."

"Thanks, Alyssa."

Grantaire lay motionless, machines connected to his body. James winced as he saw the burn marks on Grantaire's flesh, the ugly red mottling on his face and hands, now shiny with ointment. James understood all too well the cost of protecting the galaxy. Although Commander Shepard had destroyed the Reapers for good, it didn't mean the dangers were over.

 _Cerberus. Shit. It's gonna hit the fan when the Council hears about this._ James put a hand on Grantaire's shoulder. "You're gonna be okay, _Hijo_. You did great, though I really wish you weren't in the habit of putting yourself in harm's way every damn time, Jason."

"...pot callin' kettle...Sir..."

James chuckled. Grantaire's eyes were still closed, but he smiled faintly. "Shut up and go back to sleep. Let us do the heavy hauling for once, okay?"

"...the scientists...they wouldn't tell me..."

"They're safe. We got them out. Whatever you did nailed most of the mercs."

"Atherton?"

"Just relax, Jason. Doc Massani's gonna skin both of us alive if she hears you talkin'."

"...shit...didn't make it...did he..."

James's grip tightened a bit on his shoulder. "You, Preston and Hollander."

"...God...but we got it done...yeah?"

"Yeah. Get some rest, Jason." James shook his head. _Whatever it takes to get the mission done. Sometimes we make sacrifices._ Commander Shepard's words echoed in his mind. Of course, the commander was right, but it didn't mean James liked it.

Grantaire's breathing became slow and easy. James shook his head again as the medbay lights glinted on the lieutenant's hair and brought out the red highlights. It was only visible if the sun light hit it the right way; the female crew thought it made him look even more roguish.

The lieutenant treated everyone on the Normandy with respect, but James noticed he never entered a relationship with any of them. Grantaire took the chain of command quite seriously.

James sighed. He knew exactly how that went.


	2. Chapter 2

James accompanied Grantaire to Huerta, then he went directly to the Council chambers. Unfortunately, the Council was in session, and Ambassador Tahini's aide told him to come back later.

 _Mierda. Some things don't change,_ he thought with a hint of disgust. Granted, intergalactic relations had improved in the nearly three decades since the end of the Reaper war, but there were still certain traditions that needed to thrown out the airlock.

If Commander Shepard was with him, maybe James might have squeezed in an audience. As it was, James had to wait just like everyone else.

He sighed and rubbed his temples. Maybe he could drop by the bar for a drink. God only knew he needed it after everything that had happened...

His omni-tool pinged with a message: **The Skipper and I are in the Spectre Office. Meet us there. Princesa.**

He laughed and shook his head. Speaking of Shepard...he hadn't known the Commander was on the Citadel. Usually he was on Rannoch, Palaven or Tuchanka. As Human ambassador to the Quarians, Shepard did more than his share of political negotiations.

James took the lift up to the Citadel Embassies. As soon as he entered the Spectre Office, he heard the VI announce his presence. "Vega, Human, Spectre Status Recognized."

"James!" Ashley greeted. She smiled and gave him a tight hug. He returned it with just as much emotion. Although they were both Spectres now, it had been months since he'd seen her. He admitted to himself that she looked good. Her dark hair cut just at chin-level, her frame still slim and strong after all these years.

" _Que tal, Princesa?"_ he asked with a laugh.

" _Bueno_ ," she replied with a wink. She glanced over her shoulder. "Managed to snare the Skipper for lunch. We heard the Normandy was coming into port and thought that maybe you'd like to join us."

"I'd love to...if that's okay with you, Shepard."

"Like you really need to ask, James? Of course it's okay." Commander Remy Shepard, first Human Spectre and savior of the galaxy, straightened from the railing. James accepted his handshake. Shepard had aged well, despite the fact that he was officially retired from Alliance service. There were more lines around his eyes, and the first hints of gray showed at his temples, but it was still Shepard.

Some things didn't change, and of course, he was one of them.

They found a table at Apollo's, overlooking the Presidium. At first, talk ran to the reconstruction of Palaven, Rannoch and elsewhere. Even nearly three decades after the defeat of the Reapers, recovery was still ongoing. James asked about Tali, back on Rannoch, and about Shepard's family there.

"Did I hear that right? Your daughter's marrying Garrus's son?"

"Yeah." Shepard chuckled and finished his drink. "At the end of the year. Garrus is stressing out more about it that we are. Whole formal thing on Palaven. He blames me for making us so respectable that he can't avoid inviting half the planet."

" _Dios!_ " James took a deep pull of his beer. "I remember 'em as--" he stuck out his other hand, palm down, to indicate the children's former height. "I'm sure Scars is just as proud of 'em. Isn't Darius in colony development?"

Ashley nodded. "He and Maddie are The Dynamic Architectural Duo. Garrus's words, not mine, and yeah, if you get Garrus talking about his kids, he won't stop."

"Kinda hard to see Scars as that much of a chatterbox, but...well, that'll make you guys actually related now, right?"

"Technically, yeah. I threw convention out the window when I married Tali."

"I don't think you've ever been conventional, Skipper," Ashley agreed. "Then again, I've known you so long that I don't think anything about you surprises me anymore."

James scoffed, "I bet the Commander still has some things up his sleeve."

Shepard shrugged and said, "I might."

Talk touched on Citadel politics, then to the Normandy SR-4. James was more than happy to talk about his ship (as he pointed out to Shepard, the newest version was bigger and more advanced than Cerberus's SR-2 had been).

"I wish I didn't have to head back to Rannoch in a few hours. I'd love a tour of the new Normandy, James."

"Next time we meet up, I'll show you around, Shepard. I think you'll like what the techs did, especially to the engine room. Maybe we can get Tali to join us too."

"Sounds good." Shepard leaned back in his seat and regarded James with a sober expression. "We heard the Normandy's last mission was a bit rough."

"That's an understatement. A simple search-and-rescue became more complicated than we expected. Lost five guys and three are in Huerta right now, including my Head of Marine Detail."

Ashley shook her head. "Damn. I'm sorry, James."

"You wanna talk about it?"

James shrugged. "Yeah, I've been meaning to tell you both, while you're on the Citadel, but...not here."

"We can go back to the Spectre office. It's more secure than anyplace else," Shepard said.

*****  
After James finished his story, both Ashley and and Shepard were grimly silent. The commander leaned against the railing with a thoughtful expression.

"We knew the Illusive Man's organization was dug in pretty deep. It took us years to root out any Cerberus holdouts that were left," Ashley said. "Even then, we could never be sure that we got all the corruption."

"Odd that no one knew that Cerberus still had an enclave there," Shepard remarked. "It sounds like you surprised them."

"Yeah. I had a long talk with Intel on the way back here. They know how pissed off I am because no one told us." James scowled and crossed his arms. "They had all that security for three scientists? There has to be something more there."

"Something that's got the Council scared," Ashley remarked. "Didn't they say that Cerberus was supposed to be no more?"

Shepard rolled his eyes. "They said the same thing about the Geth, and the Collectors, and the Reapers. We know how _that_ turned out."

"Yeah. One of my engineers, Atherton, managed to divert an energy surge that was supposed to kill everyone, but Lieutenant Grantaire ended up setting it off. Heard Alliance forces moved pretty quick to secure the area. Haven't heard anything about it since."

Shepard inclined his head, a sure sign he had a plan in mind. "I still have some contacts on the Council. I can try to find out what's going on. If it involves someone reviving Cerberus, then it concerns intergalactic security. The last thing we need is another Illusive Man, or worse."

James sighed in relief. If there was someone who knew how to get things done, it was Commander Shepard. "Thanks, Commander. I owe you for this one."

"This one's on the house."

Ashley nodded. "Let me see what I can dig up in the Spectre files. If anyone was working on a case concerning Cerberus, I'll find it."

" _Gracias_ , both of you." An alert pinged on James's omni-tool. "Aw, c'mon," he groaned, "Can't I have chat with old friends without something going on?"

Shepard gave him a look of sympathy. "Been there, done that."

James tapped the receive button. "Major Vega."

"Sir, it's Doctor Massani, over at Huerta."

"What's going on?" James saw Shepard's smile at Massani's name and mouthed, "Alyssa."

"It's about Staff Lieutenant Grantaire, sir. He's awake and being a lousy patient. Will you come over here and straighten out your Head of Marine Detail? Or at least give him a good thrashing?"

Shepard laughed. "Marines make bad patients."

Massani made a rude noise over the comm that touched off laughter among the three Spectres. "And as I recall, Commander, my mother told me about her three worst patients on the Normandy. My father, you, and Garrus Vakarian."

"Zaeed, I can understand, but I wasn't _that_ bad."

James grinned. "At least I'm not on that list."

"You were number _four_ , Major Vega."

"So I just made the cutoff. That has to count for something." James sighed and gave his friends a look of apology. "Sorry, guys, duty calls."

"We understand the drill, James." Ashley nodded at him. "I'm still around if you can get together later."

"Might do that. See you next time, Shepard. Give my regards to Tali."

"Will do."

With a wave, James hurried out of the Spectre Office.

*****  
"Bloody flippin' hell, Doc, it itches!"

"If it itches, it means it's healing, Lieutenant."

"But it's so fecking annoyin'!"

"I'd be more worried if it didn't itch. That means your nerves under the skin have been destroyed and we'd have to do a total skin graft."

"Your bedside manner leaves a bit to be desired, Doc."

"Dealing with stubborn patients like you does wonders for my happiness level, Lieutenant."

James was tempted to interrupt the banter, but then Grantaire muttered some oaths under his breath that made James chuckle. It was almost worth to see his calm and unflappable HoMD so flustered. The Northern drawl made his words close to unintelligible, but James now had enough experience to decode it.

James laughed and shook his head. "Listen to the Doc, _Hijo_. I want you back on the Normandy ASAP."

"You sidin' with this sadistic wench, Boss? I can't believe it." Grantaire lay back on the pillows with a look of supreme annoyance. "First questionable decision I've seen you make so far."

"Careful, Lieutenant. I just might spray some more of that coating on your skin to cheer up your sour disposition." Massani winked as she passed James. "Not too long, Major. He needs rest."

"Gotcha, Doc." James pulled up a chair next to Grantaire's bed. "Good to see you're doing better."

"Yeah, could do without the ants under my skin, though." He winced, then sighed. "Can't wait to get out of here."

James grinned and said, "You'll get out of here, but don't make it longer than it absolutely has to be."

"I'll try." Grantaire rolled his eyes. "Heard you had an interesting lunch with old friends. Doc said you talked with Commander Shepard? Damn. I should've brought my autograph book."

James gently put a hand on his shoulder. "If I knew you were a fan of his, I'd brought him along for a visit."

"Eh, there's always another time. Though, I have t'admit to bein' a bit envious. What's he like?"

James sat back and told him about some of his adventures on the old Normandy, with Shepard and Williams and the old crew. Grantaire listened attentively and made the noises of admiration or disbelief, depending on what part of the story he heard.

"He got a Reaper and a thresher maw to attack each other on Tuchanka, then ran underneath _both_ of them? Without getting crushed? That took some brass ones."

"Yeah, Shepard's got the biggest _cojones_ of anyone I know. And I was _there_ when that happened. Granted, he'd ordered me and Vakarian back to the truck, but I saw it all."

"No shit." Grantaire sighed and closed his eyes. "Ugh. A big caterpillar snake and a huge bug duking it out."

"Not a fan of creepy crawlies?"

"Snakes more than bugs, but yeah...not a big fan."

"You would've hated that one time we were with Arlakh company...running through tunnels full of Reaper tech and rachni to find the central nest. That was ugly."

Grantaire winced. "Blargh. No thank ya. Just hand me a flamethrower, thanks."

James regaled him with tales until he started to droop with exhaustion. Finally, James told Grantaire to get some sleep. He met Massani on his way out. The doctor gazed at something on her screens, a worried frown on her brow.

"Everything okay, Doc?" James asked, although he already knew it wasn't.

She shook her head. "Not in here."

She hurried James into an empty office, then set her omni-tool for privacy. James frowned as she scanned the room, then when she finally satisfied, turned to face him.

"Okay, what's going on, Alyssa? You're startin' to worry me."

She tapped a few buttons on her pad and handed it to him. "How much do you know about the staff lieutenant's background?"

"Only what's in his files and what he's told me, which isn't much," he admitted. "He's English, he's a war orphan, didn't know who his parents were. Enlisted in the Alliance when he was seventeen, been with 'em ever since."

"So, he's...thirty-two?"

"Just had a birthday a few months ago. Why?"

Massani shook her head. "Staff Lieutenant Grantaire needed surgery, which included a blood transfusion. We didn't have a problem getting enough of his blood type, but I did find something in his genetic records."

"In his genetic records? I thought the Alliance required a DNA sample when you joined. That's standard, isn't it?"

"Yes, for identification purposes, just in case the worst happens." She sighed and ran a hand through her short blonde hair. "Staff Lieutenant Grantaire was adopted not long after the end of the Reaper war. All of his records were lost when the Reapers hit London. He claims to not know about his parents, and I believe him."

James's frown deepened. "Wait...you ran a trace on his DNA?"

"No, but someone tried to do it, without Grantaire's knowledge or permission."

James's mouth dropped open in utter shock. "They did _what?!_ "

"It wasn't successful because you need Grantaire's permission to do the trace." Massani smiled grimly. "For all the Alliance's faults, the one thing they've been almost paranoid about is security. After Cerberus and the Reapers...well, whoever tried it had to stop before they triggered about ten different alarms."

James shook his head. "Why would someone do that to Jason without asking him?" Anger and dismay rose in his throat. "I can't believe it."

"Neither can I. It's just...the breach of confidence is just the tip of the iceberg. Grantaire's never shown any interest in knowing about his biological parents, and I respect his decision. Yet someone is interested in finding out, and that someone's made more than one attempt. If I hadn't been updating his records, I might've not even seen it."

"God." James took a deep breath and scrubbed his face with one hand. "Are we gonna tell him?"

"If someone's trying to find out about him like this...I think he ought to know. I doubt our hacker is doing this out of the goodness of their heart," Massani replied dryly. "She closed her eyes, her turmoil painful to see on her face. "Having said that...this is such a personal issue, one that shouldn't be spread around.

"I agree." His heart ached for his HoMD. Awkward really didn't describe this situation; it was much worse. "Okay, just the two of us talk to him, no one else. We need to take care of this problem quickly and quietly."

"How?"

James smiled, but it was without humor. "I'm a Spectre," he reminded her. "I'll think of something."


	3. Chapter 3

James spent the next several days filing reports and settling acquisitions for the Normandy's stores. He hated paperwork, but as ship's captain, it was necessary. He almost wished he was back on the field with a Reaper and a thresher maw. Anything was better than this.

A summons from the Council did nothing to improve his mood. Councilors Tevos and Sparatus were still there, but there was a new Salarian Councilor to replace Valern, and Counselor Janita Tahiri represented Humanity's interests. Thanks to Shepard's influence, the volus now claimed a seat, and the Quarians had reclaimed theirs, along with a Geth representative.

"We read your report on the Cerberus raid, Major," said Tevos. "You are sure they were Cerberus?"

"They wore the logo, used Cerberus equipment and their tactics. I think that pretty much confirmed it, Councilor," James replied.

"They haven't shown their face in close to two decades, Earth-Clan," the volus-- _Councilor Zakrus_ , James remembered--wheezed. "Why would they choose to reveal themselves now?"

"I don't know, Councilor Zakrus. We weren't expecting to see them in that great a number. Just their presence there worries me."

Sparatus nodded in agreement. If there was anyone on the Council who unconditionally supported Shepard and any of Normandy crew, it was the Turian. James liked him more than anyone else there, including Tahiri.

"We could never be certain that Cerberus was completely eradicated," Sparatus reminded the Council. "We still should not underestimate the Illusive Man, even if he is long dead. There could be others who have taken up his banner."

Tahiri bit her lip, but she nodded as well. "As much as I hate to admit it, Sparatus is correct. The Illusive Man was hardly representative of my species...but unfortunately, hate and terrorism are never completely erased from the galaxy."

Councilor Niroati's eyes bulged from under his hood. "If word gets out, this could start another galactic panic."

James stifled a groan. _Of course, the Salarians would be the first to point that out._ He cut off those uncharitable thoughts before they went too far. "Then let's take care of it without any fuss, Councilors. Send a Spectre to deal with it."

Niroati slowly blinked. "And by 'a Spectre', you mean yourself, Major Vega."

"I was there when the Illusive Man and Cerberus tried to betray all of us, Councilor Niroati. I know how they operate."

The Quarian Councilor inclined his head. "You aren't the only Spectre familiar with Cerberus, Major. Both Commander Shepard and Captain Williams have experience as well."

Councilor Zakrus huffed in disapproval. "Shepard is long retired, Jandim. Are we going to call on him every time the galaxy is in peril? Never mind that he is a hero to your people, and even married to a Quarian."

James couldn't help but defend his former commander. "Hey. What do you have against Shepard, Zakrus? He's done more for this Council even before you got on it." He was tempted to point out that Zakrus was here _because_ of Shepard's intervention, but that would only make things worse.

Ever the peacemaker, Tevos raised her hands to interrupt it. "He actually worked with them--undercover, of course--and dispatched the Illusive Man himself. Councilor Jandim has a point. If Shepard can be spared from Rannoch--"

Jandim nodded. "I can talk privately with the Commander."

"So can I," Vega added.

Sparatus got to his feet and gave each councilor a measured stare, then turned to James. "The Spectres are the right hand of the Council. You have our authority to take down Cerberus, if they are rebuilding themselves. Of course, all the usual rules and restrictions apply, Spectre Vega Go with the Spirits' blessing."

James straightened and saluted him. "Yes, sir."

"Goddess be with you, Major."

" _Keelah se'lai_."

"Fair travel, Earth-Clan."

James turned and left the Council chamber. For once, he was glad that the Council saw reason and that he wouldn't be working alone on this one. He was thankful that Shepard's influence had tempered their hard-line attitude, despite all the heartache it had caused Shepard in the old days.

And with the Commander on their side, Cerberus was done. Permanently.

*****

The Normandy's senior staff listened to the news in the War Room. Their eyes all lit up at the prospect of giving Cerberus--or whatever was left of it--the boot, once and for all. Commander Richard Blair, James's XO, shook his head.

"So we're picking up Commander Shepard from Rannoch and Ambassador Vakarian from Palaven. My God, they are living legends!" Blair said.

"Yeah, and their knowledge of Cerberus will help us a lot. Shepard and Vakarian were dealing with them even _before_ I knew them," James pointed out.

Grantaire chuckled. "I remembered to bring my autograph book this time."

"Good thing, then." James sobered as he regarded Grantaire. He planned to have Massani meet them in the captain's quarters so they could break the news to Grantaire. James was _not_ looking forward to this conversation.

He shook his head and addressed his crew again. "Standard classified run. No one breathes a word about this without my explicit permission. If this is really Cerberus, we don't need to cause a panic. Officially, our guests are here on a diplomatic mission. Got it?"

They all responded in the positive. James dismissed them and motioned for Grantaire to follow him. Both men were quiet on the lift ride to Deck One, then James ushered him into his quarters, where Alyssa Massani waited for them.

"Doc? What's goin' on?" Grantaire asked when he saw her. "This isn't about me bein' a stubborn arse again. I did everything y'wanted while I was laid up."

Massani tried to smile, but it didn't work. "You'd better sit down for this one, Jason. Major Vega and I need to tell you about something."

"Sounds serious," he remarked as he sat on the couch opposite James. "What's up?"

James took a deep breath and told him about the security breach. Massani added how she'd discovered it in his records, and how the attempt had failed. Grantaire said nothing as he listened.

"Bloody hell," he breathed. He leaned back on the couch with a stunned expression. "Why would anyone do that?"

"I don't know, but whoever it is broke every ethical rule in the book," Massani admitted. "I hate to ask you this, Jason...but do you have any idea who might do this to you?"

He slowly shook his head. "No. I don't. My parents--my adopted parents--believed in letting sleeping dogs lie, Doc. They always told me to look towards the future, and not back to the past. I'm in charge of my destiny, not my bloodline, whatever it is."

Grantaire tried to sound calm, but James heard the tremble of rage in his tone. "I like that attitude, _Hijo_."

He waved his hand in a casual gesture, but James saw that he was anything _but_ casual. "Oh, I've been curious about it. God only knows how many times I've been tempted to run that DNA trace myself. But what good is that gonna do? My blood parents are dead, victims of the Reapers. If anything, I blame the Reapers for what happened to them, not anyone else. Let 'em rest in peace."

Massani reached over and put her hand on his. "I've got it flagged so that if anyone tries to hack into your records again, it'll alert me. Major Vega's looking into who might be the culprit, but we're the only two who know. We're going to keep it that way."

Grantaire took a shaky breath. "Thank you. Thank you both. I don't want this getting out."

" _De nada, Hijo_." James squeezed his shoulder. "We'll find who's doing this and stop 'em cold."

He nodded. "Thanks, Boss. Now, if we're done...I'd like to be alone for a while."

"Of course. Go on, Lieutenant."

After the doors hissed shut after Grantaire, Massani reached for the wine bottle on the table. "That went better than I expected."

"He's got a good head on his shoulders, but I don't blame him for being upset. I would've taken it worse," James admitted. "Pour me a glass, Alyssa. God knows I need it."

She said nothing, but did as he asked.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard and Garrus join the Normandy SR-4's crew for a covert mission. He meets Lieutenant Grantaire. The two of them and Garrus see who's the best sniper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in this chapter. My laptop died late this past summer and I lost all my drafts and notes. Luckily, I recovered most of them, but I had to reconstruct a LOT of stuff. Hopefully, updates will be more regular now that I beat the technological demons. :-)

"Ten-hut!" shouted Commander Blair.

The entire Normandy crew snapped to attention as their guests stepped through the airlock. Garrus's mouth flared as he saw the reception. Unlike the original Normandy, Salarians, Turians Asari and Quarians stood with their Human counterparts. Two burly Krogan and a volus stood proudly at the end of the line. The non-Human members wore their homeworld uniform with pride, but each one sported an Alliance patch on their shoulders.

Garrus glanced at Shepard in surprise. The commander's mouth quirked at the corners, but he kept a neutral expression.  _About damn time,_ he thought,  _we've come a long way._

James stepped forward and saluted them. "Commander Shepard, Centurion Vakarian. Welcome back to the Normandy."

"Thank you, Major Vega." Shepard noticed Doctor Alyssa Massani, and standing next to her was a dark-skinned lieutenant with dark red-brown hair. Shepard had reviewed the man's records, and he smiled. "Lieutenant Grantaire, Major Vega has told me quite a bit about you."

"It's an honor to finally meet you, sir," Grantaire replied as he shook the hand that Shepard offered. "I was laid up the last time under Doctor Massani's care."

Massani snorted in laughter and a slight chuckle went through the company. Apparently, Grantaire had the reputation of being difficult in Medbay, like most soldiers. The lieutenant only gave a long-suffering sigh.

So this was Vega's Head of Marine Detail. He reminded Shepard a bit of Kaidan Alenko, except Kaidan had never held himself quite like _that_ , like a lazy panther about to strike. Grantaire's dark almond-shaped eyes didn't seem to miss anything, and there was a fire in those eyes that Shepard understood. A young officer eager to prove himself; it reminded Shepard of other soldiers under his command.

He glanced at James, whose mouth twitched with suppressed laughter, then looked back at Grantaire. "I'm glad to see you've fully recovered. We should compare sniper records later. Major? After you."

"Aye, sir."

James escorted them to the briefing room on the combat deck. Shepard sat on James's right, with Garrus on his left and and Grantaire on his right, with James at the head of the table. He activated the general holoprojector.

"Captain Williams found reports in the Citadel archives. Alliance patrols took out most of the remaining Cerberus holdouts after the Reaper War. We never believed we got them all, but the organization was silent after that. The Council proclaimed it a victory and focused on rebuilding."

Grantaire scowled. "Apparently they weren't as silent as we thought."

Garrus nodded. "Right, Lieutenant. Turian military command discovered the occasional outpost, but they were quickly taken care of. Then Asari commandos found abandoned Cerberus tech and equipment. It looked like Cerberus evacuated before the Asari got there."

"Why didn't they tell anyone? Aren't we supposed to be allies now?"

Shepard winced at the blunt question. Grantaire voiced all the concerns that everyone thought. "The Council was adamant that Cerberus was gone. They didn't want anyone to panic...or worse, believe Cerberus was coming back and take up their banner again."

" _Someone_ did."

Vega spoke up. "Yeah, we found that out the hard way. You found a lead?"

"Sowilo system. It's out in the Terminus, far from Citadel Space. It was rumored to be an old base of the Shadow Broker. If it had been, it makes sense for Cerberus to appropriate it." Shepard kept a straight face as he talked. "Not much out there now, but the STG traced several unauthorized transmissions there. Our orders are to check it out. My gut instincts tell me it's legit, but even if it isn't their main base of operations, we might find critical information there."

"Good point, Commander." Vega nodded at his senior staff. "Set a course for Sowilo. And again, not a word about our mission on non-approved channels. Lieutenant Grantaire, get your infiltration team ready. You're going in as soon as we arrive."

Grantaire nodded. "Will do, Major." He paused, then asked, "Will you and Centurion Vakarian be joining us, Commander?"

Shepard inclined his head at him. "Count on it, Lieutenant."

"We'd be honored to have you with us, sir."

"Thank you. If that's all...Major Vega?"

"Staff dismissed." When it was only the three of them in the room, James whistled and sat back in his seat. "The Shepard Charm strikes again. Damn, how do you do it, and where can I get it?"

He laughed and shook his head. "You have a good crew, James. Nice to know the Normandy's in good hands."

"Would you expect any less, Loco?"

*****

As the days passed, the Normandy crew got to know the men behind the legends. Shepard and Garrus didn't mind sharing their stories about the old SR-1 and SR-2. Most of the current crew had been born after the Reaper War, but they still felt the effects, even now. Many had lost relatives in the attack and occupation of Earth. Some, like Grantaire, were war orphans. Shepard didn't hold back on the horrific things he'd seen.

"But we all pulled together to beat the Reapers," he reminded them. "That's the only thing that saved us all. If Cerberus had succeeded, chances are good _none_ of us would be here now."

As the Normandy grew closer to Sowilo, Shepard observed how Vega's crew prepared for high risk missions. He remembered asking Garrus that question about Turian crews. There was no 'supervised fighting', but there were friendly bets.

"I told Shepard that there were someo fus who could make a rifle dance," Garrus was saying. He double-checked the charge of his practice sniper rifle. "And we had a friendly shoot-out at the top of the Citadel."

Grantaire smiled. "So, who won?"

"I did."

"Wait...you actually _beat_ Shepard? No way."

"Practice slugs only, but I threw one at him at he missed. The whole Citadel heard the echo. Later I bronzed the rifle I used to beat him."

They both heard Shepard's voice from the doorway. "Not completely true, Garrus."

"Completely true. You missed."

"I let you win."

"No, you didn't."

"Yeah, I did. I just never told you until now."

If a Turian's glare could kill, Garrus's would have burned a hole in Shepard's chest. "You'd never lose on purpose, Shepard. I know you better than that."

Grantaire smirked. "How about we settle this right here, right now? Normandy SR-4's practice range, with me as a witness?"

"Do you one better, Lieutenant. Vega said you were some sniper hotshot, like a certain commander was years ago. I wanna see how you stack up compared to the two of us." Garrus tossed him his rifle. "Bet you can't come close."

His smirk widened, and Shepard thought he definitely looked like a predator now. "Me against you and the Commander? You're on, Centurion Vakarian."

He set up the targets on the far side of the range. There was one practice round, then the final one. Garrus leaned against the console and watched as Grantaire lined up his shots. The range echoed with the boom of the rifle.

"Ten out of twelve, with seven perfect bulls-eyes," Garrus reported. "Not bad, youngster. Shepard?"

Shepard nodded and took his position. It had been some time since he'd actually been in the field; diplomacy didn't give him much time to keep his skills sharp, but muscle memory and a lifetime of combat still gave him an edge.

"Eleven out of twelve, ten perfect shots." Garrus looked somewhat impressed. "Good to see age hasn't slowed you down, old man."

"Let's see how you do, Vakarian. _Then_ trash talk me."

Grantaire shook his head, as if he couldn't imagine anyone bantering like that. His eyes scrutinized the Turian's every move, as if committing them to memory. The screen lit up as Garrus fired. "Twelve out of twelve, eleven perfect shots." He whistled. "Holy shit. I bow to your superiority, Centurion."

Shepard rolled his eyes. "Don't make his fringe swell up even more than it already does, Lieutenant. Now he'll be insufferable."

"It's not insufferable if it's honestly earned, Shepard."

"Says you." Shepard muttered under his breath in French. Garrus didn't catch it, but Grantaire did, and the other man murmured something back that made Shepard laugh.

"I stand corrected, Lieutenant," he said as he handed the practice rifle back to Grantaire. "Thanks for the shoot-out. I'll see you two later."

He shook his head as he left the range. Vega was lucky to have a Head of Marine Detail like him.


End file.
